After getting a late start at Epcot, Mike and I were starving and tried to figure out where to eat that we hadnt been to yet. I finally decided that we would give the San Angel Inn one more try, for lunch this time, after having a not-so-great experience back in December with the Candlelight Processional package (which I very highly recommend doing). We take our Mexican food seriously, whether its Tex-Mex or authentic Mexican, and there are several excellent restaurants on the east side of Orlando for both. I believe it was approximately 1 PM at this time. We walked up and asked about a table on the river, and were told that it would be around 45 minutes for a wait, so we decided to take a regular table at 5-10 minutes. We were given the buzzer and walked around the inside of the pavilion. The Mexican pavilion is my favorite for themeing inside its a Mexican marketplace with a beautiful dusky atmosphere, and it never seems very loud unless the bands are playing.
We were soon seated at a table for two with a small gas lamp on the table for lighting. Luckily this time we werent seated at one of the tables where you can eat off the plates of the people who are sitting next to you. This was on the right side of the front of the restaurant, just as you walk down the stairs. It was near the kitchen, which somewhat took away from the atmosphere, but we could get the atmosphere just walking around. Our server, Norma, came over and took our drink order and brought us chips and salsa. I ordered the San Angel margarita ($7.75), as I am trying to find a great margarita at Disney (havent done so yet), and Mike ordered a diet Coke ($2). Much to his surprise, he found out after tasting it that they only had caffeine free diet Coke, which neither of us like. He asked for just a glass of water after that, which our server brought, and took the diet Coke off of the bill.
The tortilla chips were round, yellow corn based, and seemed to me to be very pre-packaged. Mike enjoyed these very much, but I thought they were just ok. The salsa, however, was good. Not quite spicy enough, but it had a good flavor. It was red tomato based, and I think its a cooked salsa as opposed to a fresh salsa (salsas in jars are cooked for preservation). Thankfully, we each got our own bowl of salsa as Mike tends to use up about 426 bowls himself.
I received my margarita, and was happy to see that it was pretty large, after the price. Unfortunately, it did not taste good at all. It tasted too heavily of the sweet and sour mix, almost identical to the one at Hollywood and Vine. There was no taste of tequila at all, and it wasnt too strong. Ive just about given up at finding a good margarita at Epcot, unfortunately. The frozen ones outside are ok, and will do in a pinch. I found out that the frozen margaritas inside the San Angel Inn are the same as the ones outside at the Cantina, after asking Norma.
We decided to try the queso fundido ($9.25) again, after being disappointed by the size in December. We figured that it was small because of the Candlelight package. Our server brought out a tray containing the steaming cheese in a skillet with some tortillas on the side. Unfortunately, she started mixing the cheese together, and spooned it into two tortillas, wrapped them up like enchiladas, placed them on our table, and left. We just stared at the plate. Two very small quesadilla-enchilada hybrids for over nine dollars!? I looked at the interior and noticed cooked chiles, but no sign of the chorizo that is advertised on the menu. We put salsa inside and resigned ourselves to it. If we ever eat here again, we will definitely never order an appetizer. The nachos were tiny as well, in December. Please do not waste the money. We ate at one of our local Tex-Mex restaurants a few days after this, and decided to try the queso fundido there. It was enormous, for $5. It was served in a bowl for us to serve ourselves, not pre-fixed. The queso fundido at San Angel Inn has to be the most disappointing dish in the entire Disney resort.
We asked for more chips at that point, determined to at least get our moneys worth in chips if not in our appetizer. Two bowls of salsa were again brought out, which was great. The entrees we had ordered arrived not long after that. I had ordered the new chefs special ($14.95), which included pork, chorizo, a cheese chile relleno, refried black beans, and rice. Mike decided on the Pollo a las Rajas ($15.25), which was grilled chicken breast served over red peppers, onions, chile poblano, chorizo and melted cheese. Both of these portions were very large, thankfully after the appetizer disaster, and we could have easily shared one of them. I finally discovered mostly good pork at Disney! On my plate, the pork was cut into chunks with what I believe was a red sauce over them, but it was hard to tell with the dim lighting. I say mostly because it was pretty fatty so much so, that along with chunks of pork were chunks of fat, which I unfortunately discovered after eating a piece of very soft pork. Ugh. There also was only the slightest sign of chorizo. The amount I had was as if a slice had been cut from the sausage, then cut into four tiny wedges. The chile relleno was the largest Ive ever seen. Its typically a chile poblano with a slit down the side, stuffed with either cheese or a beef mixture, battered with an egg based batter, and fried. This was a good rendition of it, with a cheese mixture that contained a fresh cheese much like ricotta, but more flavorful. The batter was thick-textured and actually was one of the better batters Ive had on a chile relleno. The chile itself was mild, especially after cooking, and there was no heat at all. A poblano usually doesnt have very much heat, either. I do like the refried beans at both the San Angel Inn and the Cantina, being black beans, as they are a nice change of pace from the usual pinto beans. These were great, and there was a lot of them. The rice was disappointing, though. It had no flavor to it, but was better once I added a good amount of salsa. Mike really enjoyed his pollo dish. The way it was presented was as a grilled breast of chicken on top of cheese-sauce covered vegetables. Im never sure if the cheese sauces they use here at Disney are real cheese (or processed cheese product), and Ill have to ask someday. I dont think he noticed any chorizo in his dish either. Im seeing a trend of severely-lacking quantities of chorizo. The vegetables were cooked well, and the dish wasnt spicy, either. We both enjoyed our appetizers, though couldnt finish them, and since we werent going home immediately, we didnt take them to go.
Without us asking, Norma left the dessert menu with us. We hadnt been thinking about it until then, and looking at the menu made our dessert stomachs appear. We decided on the chocolate chimichanga ($4.95), which was a small chimichanga filled with dark chocolate and caramelized bananas, with ice cream and a peanut butter sauce. This ended up being fantastic! The filling was fabulous, and as Ive said in the past, I dont even like bananas. The sauce surrounding it was wonderful as well, with a rich peanut flavor. The only thing that could have enhanced the dish was if they had used cinnamon ice cream instead of vanilla. It all went together very well, though.
As I said before, Mikes diet Coke was taken off the bill, but not until we noticed it and were discussing it between ourselves. Norma came over and said that she would take it off, and I wondered if she overheard us. Either way, we were happy about that because Mike had only taken a sip.
Ive heard this restaurant called authentic Mexican, and I always have to disagree with that. I decided this time that it wasnt quite Tex-Mex, but it was fancy Tex-Mex: more involved than Taco Bell or most of the entrees on a Tex-Mex restaurants menu, but not too authentic to my taste. They do have pollo en mole on the dinner menu, though, and it was a decent version, though odd in the presentation a piece of bone-in breast over a sauce containing bits of chicken.
Service in general was polite, though not especially quick or terribly friendly. It was just average, which I dont usually expect at Disney restaurants. There wasnt anything wrong with it, just not as friendly and happy as at other restaurants, but this can of course depend on quite a few factors.
Overall, the food was good, with a couple stand-outs, but the price is a bit high, and the quality not as good as non-Disney Tex-Mex restaurants that weve visited. If you want the atmosphere, come inside to shop or see the bands play, and eat outside at the Cantina to save money. If you must come inside, dont order the queso fundido, but share an entrée and definitely order the chocolate enchilada, which is a dont miss. We most likely wont return, though, and will get our Mexican fix at a better, local restaurant.
Photo gallery
We were soon seated at a table for two with a small gas lamp on the table for lighting. Luckily this time we werent seated at one of the tables where you can eat off the plates of the people who are sitting next to you. This was on the right side of the front of the restaurant, just as you walk down the stairs. It was near the kitchen, which somewhat took away from the atmosphere, but we could get the atmosphere just walking around. Our server, Norma, came over and took our drink order and brought us chips and salsa. I ordered the San Angel margarita ($7.75), as I am trying to find a great margarita at Disney (havent done so yet), and Mike ordered a diet Coke ($2). Much to his surprise, he found out after tasting it that they only had caffeine free diet Coke, which neither of us like. He asked for just a glass of water after that, which our server brought, and took the diet Coke off of the bill.
The tortilla chips were round, yellow corn based, and seemed to me to be very pre-packaged. Mike enjoyed these very much, but I thought they were just ok. The salsa, however, was good. Not quite spicy enough, but it had a good flavor. It was red tomato based, and I think its a cooked salsa as opposed to a fresh salsa (salsas in jars are cooked for preservation). Thankfully, we each got our own bowl of salsa as Mike tends to use up about 426 bowls himself.
I received my margarita, and was happy to see that it was pretty large, after the price. Unfortunately, it did not taste good at all. It tasted too heavily of the sweet and sour mix, almost identical to the one at Hollywood and Vine. There was no taste of tequila at all, and it wasnt too strong. Ive just about given up at finding a good margarita at Epcot, unfortunately. The frozen ones outside are ok, and will do in a pinch. I found out that the frozen margaritas inside the San Angel Inn are the same as the ones outside at the Cantina, after asking Norma.
We decided to try the queso fundido ($9.25) again, after being disappointed by the size in December. We figured that it was small because of the Candlelight package. Our server brought out a tray containing the steaming cheese in a skillet with some tortillas on the side. Unfortunately, she started mixing the cheese together, and spooned it into two tortillas, wrapped them up like enchiladas, placed them on our table, and left. We just stared at the plate. Two very small quesadilla-enchilada hybrids for over nine dollars!? I looked at the interior and noticed cooked chiles, but no sign of the chorizo that is advertised on the menu. We put salsa inside and resigned ourselves to it. If we ever eat here again, we will definitely never order an appetizer. The nachos were tiny as well, in December. Please do not waste the money. We ate at one of our local Tex-Mex restaurants a few days after this, and decided to try the queso fundido there. It was enormous, for $5. It was served in a bowl for us to serve ourselves, not pre-fixed. The queso fundido at San Angel Inn has to be the most disappointing dish in the entire Disney resort.
We asked for more chips at that point, determined to at least get our moneys worth in chips if not in our appetizer. Two bowls of salsa were again brought out, which was great. The entrees we had ordered arrived not long after that. I had ordered the new chefs special ($14.95), which included pork, chorizo, a cheese chile relleno, refried black beans, and rice. Mike decided on the Pollo a las Rajas ($15.25), which was grilled chicken breast served over red peppers, onions, chile poblano, chorizo and melted cheese. Both of these portions were very large, thankfully after the appetizer disaster, and we could have easily shared one of them. I finally discovered mostly good pork at Disney! On my plate, the pork was cut into chunks with what I believe was a red sauce over them, but it was hard to tell with the dim lighting. I say mostly because it was pretty fatty so much so, that along with chunks of pork were chunks of fat, which I unfortunately discovered after eating a piece of very soft pork. Ugh. There also was only the slightest sign of chorizo. The amount I had was as if a slice had been cut from the sausage, then cut into four tiny wedges. The chile relleno was the largest Ive ever seen. Its typically a chile poblano with a slit down the side, stuffed with either cheese or a beef mixture, battered with an egg based batter, and fried. This was a good rendition of it, with a cheese mixture that contained a fresh cheese much like ricotta, but more flavorful. The batter was thick-textured and actually was one of the better batters Ive had on a chile relleno. The chile itself was mild, especially after cooking, and there was no heat at all. A poblano usually doesnt have very much heat, either. I do like the refried beans at both the San Angel Inn and the Cantina, being black beans, as they are a nice change of pace from the usual pinto beans. These were great, and there was a lot of them. The rice was disappointing, though. It had no flavor to it, but was better once I added a good amount of salsa. Mike really enjoyed his pollo dish. The way it was presented was as a grilled breast of chicken on top of cheese-sauce covered vegetables. Im never sure if the cheese sauces they use here at Disney are real cheese (or processed cheese product), and Ill have to ask someday. I dont think he noticed any chorizo in his dish either. Im seeing a trend of severely-lacking quantities of chorizo. The vegetables were cooked well, and the dish wasnt spicy, either. We both enjoyed our appetizers, though couldnt finish them, and since we werent going home immediately, we didnt take them to go.
Without us asking, Norma left the dessert menu with us. We hadnt been thinking about it until then, and looking at the menu made our dessert stomachs appear. We decided on the chocolate chimichanga ($4.95), which was a small chimichanga filled with dark chocolate and caramelized bananas, with ice cream and a peanut butter sauce. This ended up being fantastic! The filling was fabulous, and as Ive said in the past, I dont even like bananas. The sauce surrounding it was wonderful as well, with a rich peanut flavor. The only thing that could have enhanced the dish was if they had used cinnamon ice cream instead of vanilla. It all went together very well, though.
As I said before, Mikes diet Coke was taken off the bill, but not until we noticed it and were discussing it between ourselves. Norma came over and said that she would take it off, and I wondered if she overheard us. Either way, we were happy about that because Mike had only taken a sip.
Ive heard this restaurant called authentic Mexican, and I always have to disagree with that. I decided this time that it wasnt quite Tex-Mex, but it was fancy Tex-Mex: more involved than Taco Bell or most of the entrees on a Tex-Mex restaurants menu, but not too authentic to my taste. They do have pollo en mole on the dinner menu, though, and it was a decent version, though odd in the presentation a piece of bone-in breast over a sauce containing bits of chicken.
Service in general was polite, though not especially quick or terribly friendly. It was just average, which I dont usually expect at Disney restaurants. There wasnt anything wrong with it, just not as friendly and happy as at other restaurants, but this can of course depend on quite a few factors.
Overall, the food was good, with a couple stand-outs, but the price is a bit high, and the quality not as good as non-Disney Tex-Mex restaurants that weve visited. If you want the atmosphere, come inside to shop or see the bands play, and eat outside at the Cantina to save money. If you must come inside, dont order the queso fundido, but share an entrée and definitely order the chocolate enchilada, which is a dont miss. We most likely wont return, though, and will get our Mexican fix at a better, local restaurant.
Photo gallery
